Cancer stem cells caught

06.08.2012 - Belgian and UK researchers have for the first time tracked the existence of cancer stem cells in vivo. The study provides another piece of evidence that cancer stem cells are drivers of tumour recurrence.

The study published in Nature demonstrates for the first time the existence of cancer stem cells during unperturbed solid tumour growth. The team led by Cédric Blanpain from Université libre de Bruxelles found specific subsets of cells in mouse tumours that seem to be responsible for the re-growth of tumours. These findings shed new light on the controversial issue of whether cancer stem cells exist in growing tumours and may have implications for potential therapies.

Cancer stem cells are proposed to be responsible for tumour recurrence after anti-cancer treatments fail. However, evidence for cancer stem cells in solid tumours remained unproven so far. Blanpain and co-workers tracked tumour progression in mouse model of skin cancer and observe a persistent subpopulation of tumour cells with stem-like properties. There are two more groups publishing in parallel on their tracking success of cancer stem cells in Nature and Science.

29.07.2015 Newly founded Mereo BioPharma has acquired three mid-stage clinical assets from Novartis. In turn, the Swiss pharma concern will hold a stake in the UK company. Other investors are also on board.

24.07.2015 Biotech companies across Europe continue to raise cash on the public markets, generating €3bn in total financing proceedings in the first half of 2015. Compared to 2014, this is almost twice as much.

23.07.2015 US money keeps flowing into Europe's biotechs. As the race for the peanut allergy market heats up, NASDAQ listed French biotech DBV has announced the successful closing of US$281m (€256m) share offering for its allergy products.

16.07.2015 Sanofi has announced plans to restructure its business in five standalone global business units starting in January 2016. The goal is to promote growth and help the company launch a catalogue of new drugs over the next five years.

15.07.2015 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has become the first drugmaker to join the Francis Crick Institute. It is a consortium made up of six scientific and academic institutes to conduct research and drug development in the UK. The new institute is set to become a world-leading centre of biomedical research and innovation.

10.07.2015 Karolinska Development has slashed the reported value of its portfolio by almost half by revising its valuation model for early stage companies and divesting its shares in pain med maker Pharmanest.

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